Stabilized towing vehicle and trailer combination and interconnecting hitch

ABSTRACT

A towing vehicle and trailer combination in which the effect each vehicle has on the other is minimized even at high speeds. The trailer has a primary, rear body section and a secondary, front body section which forms a nose that extends forwardly from the primary section. A clearance cavity for the rear portion of the vehicle (assuming normal towing in the forward direction) is defined beneath the nose in front of the primary section. A ball and socket hitch connects the forward end of the nose to the top of the towing vehicle at its front to rear and lateral center, thereby equalizing the hitch weight on the wheels of the vehicle. The trailer has its weight distributed in the primary and secondary sections to locate the center of gravity of the entire trailer forwardly of the center of the primary section. The trailer wheels are disposed substantially at the center of gravity, with the result that the distance between the trailer axle or axles and the rear axle of the towing vehicle is materially shortened and is approximately equal to the wheel base of the vehicle. The hitch is secured to the vehicle top by a unitary, rigid, rectangular baseplate overlying the top. The baseplate has an elevated central portion on which the hitch ball is mounted, and is of a shallow, generally frusto-pyramidal configuration to present four downwardly sloping surfaces radiating from the central portion and facing in forward, rearward, and lateral directions respectively.

United States Patent [1 1 Taylor 111 3,756, 24 1451 Sept. 4, 1973STABILIZED TOWING VEHICLE AND TRAILER COMBINATION AND INTERCONNECTINGHITCH [76] Inventor: Harry L. Taylor, Harmon Electronics Inc., GrainValley, Mo. 64029 [22] Filed: Jan. 10, 1972 [21] App]. No.1 216,551

[52] U.S. Cl. 280/423 R, 296/23 R, 280/511 [51] Int. Cl B62d 53/00 [58]Field of Search 280/423 R; 296/23 R, 296/23 MC [56] References CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 3,276,790 10/1966 McKaig 296 23 R x 3,383,1195/1968 Carroll 280/426 3,415,566 I2/l968 Kerrigan 296 1 s FOREIGNPATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 630,243 7 1963 Belgium 296/23 R 748,762 11 1963Canada... 296/23 MC 1,250,559 12 1960 France 296/23 MC PrimaryExaminer-Leo Friaglia Att0rneyD. A. N. Chase et a1.

[5 7 ABSTRACT A towing vehicle and trailer combination in which theeffect each vehicle has on the other is minimized even at high speeds.The trailer has a primary, rear body section and a secondary, front bodysection which forms a nose that extends forwardly from the primarysection. A clearance cavity for the rear portion of the vehicle(assuming normal towing in the forward direction) is defined beneath thenose in front of the primary section. A ball and socket hitch connectsthe forward end of the nose to the top of the towing vehicle at itsfront to rear and lateral center, thereby equalizing the hitch weight onthe wheels of the vehicle. The trailer has its weight distributed in theprimary and secondary sections to locate the center of gravity of theentire trailer forwardly of the center of the primary section. The

4 trailer wheels are disposed-substantially at the center of gravity,with the result that the distance between the trailer axle or axles andthe rear axle of the towing vehicle is materially shortened and isapproximately equal to the wheel base of the vehicle. The hitch issecured to the vehicle top by a unitary, rigid, rectangular baseplateoverlying the top. The baseplate has an elevated central portion onwhich the hitch ball is mounted, and is of a shallow, generallyfrusto-pyramidal configuration to present four downwardly slopingsurfaces radiating from the central portion and facing in forward,rearward, and lateral directions respectively.

9 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures STABILIZED TOWING VEHICLE AND TRAILERCOMBINATION AND INTERCONNECTING HITCH This invention relates toimprovements in vehicular trailers and in the manner of connecting atrailer to a towing vehicle.

In recent years, camping trailers and travel trailers have becomeincreasingly popular as a recreational vehicle. In most instances,trailers of this type are essentially a wheeled vehicle having arectangular configuration with a tongue at the front which is hitched tothe bumper of a towing vehicle. Simple bumper hitches are commonlyutilized, resulting in the application of the entire hitch weight to therear bumper of the towing vehicle. It may be appreciated that this is avery unstable configuration and renders the vehicular combinationsusceptible to sway, jackknifing, poor braking characteristics, andgeneral instability at highway speeds.

The difficulties outlined above may be minimized somewhat through theuse of an equalizer hitch. I-Iitches of this type, in fact, aremandatory when it is desired to tow a relatively large travel trailerwith a conventional automobile. However, although it is easier to tow atrailer with an equalizer hitch and greater stability in the automobileframe results by the equalization of the hitch load, marked instabilityin the overall vehicular combination remains since the hitchstill isutilized essentially as a link between two vehicles, each of which has amaterial and adverse affect on the other at road speeds.

It is, therefore, the primary object of the present invention to providea towing vehicle and trailer combination in which the affect eachvehicle has on the other is minimized even at high speeds, resultinginsubstantially increased stability both in the towing vehicle and inthe overall combination.

As a corollary to the foregoing object, it is an important aim of thisinvention to provide a vehicular combination as aforesaid in which eachvehicle is substantially independent of the other insofar as itsoperational and functional characteristics are concerned, while at thesame time providing an interconnection between the towing vehicle andthe towed vehicle that produces an integrated vehicular combination.

Furthermore, it is an important object of this invention to providehitch arrangement for interconnecting the towing and towed vehicles,wherein the connection is made between the tongue of the trailer and thetop of the towing vehicle in a manner to substantially equalize thehitch load applied to the wheels of the towing vehicle and to provide ahitch that is adapted for use in the integrated vehicular combinationset forth in the foregoing objects.

Additionally, it is an important object of this invention to provide atrailer that includes a primary, rear body section and a secondary,front body section extending forwardly over the rear of the towingvehicle to a hitch connection on the top thereof, wherein the center ofgravity of the trailer is located forwardly of the center of the primarysection in order to enable the axle or axles of the trailer wheels to bedisposed in relatively closely spaced relationship to the rear axle ofthe towing vehicle.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the vehicular combination of of thepresent invention, showing an automobile towing a camping trailer;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the baseplate of the hitch structure of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, greatly enlarged view of the top of theautomobile and the tongue portion of the trailer shown in FIG. 1,illustrating the hitch in use;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view showing themanner in which the baseplate of the hitch structure is' attached to theautomobile;

FIG. 7 is a detail view of the outer end portion of one of the platemembers utilized to attach the baseplate to the automobile; I

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view showing the topof the baseplate; and

FIG. 9 and 10 are diagrammatic, side elevational views of theautomobile-trailer combination illustrating various operational aspectsof the combination to be discussed in the succeeding specification.

Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 5, a conventional four door sedan isillustrated at 20 having the usual front wheels 22 and rear wheels 24. Acamping trailer 26 is being towed by the vehicle 20, and is providedwith a tongue 28 having a split socket 30 at its forward end. The socket30 fits over a hitch ball 32 (seen in FIGS. 2-4 and 8) mounted on abaseplate 34. The baseplate 34 forms a part of the hitch structure ofthe present invention and overlies the top 36 of the vehicle 20 at azone thereon which is midway between the front and rear bumpers of thevehicle. The split socket 30 is a conventional releasable hitch socketand is locked closed by a spring-loaded sleeve 38 to form a positiveconnection with the ball 32.

It may be seen in FIG. 1 that the trailer 26 has a primary, rear bodysection 40 and a secondary, front body section 42 which presents a.forwardly extending nose that projects over the rear portion of thevehicle 20 to the tongue 28 at the forward end of the nose. The rearsection 40 defines the, bottom 44 of the trailer, and the two sections40 and 42 have a common, horizontal top 46. The front section or nose 42is integral with the rear section 40 and forms a forwardly extendingcontinuation of the interior compartment of the trailer, 'ex cept forthe clearance cavity 48 left beneath the nose 42 in front of theprimary, rear section 40. Accordingly, the elevated nose section 42would commonly be utilized for the sleeping or bunk area of the trailer,with the full height, rear section 40 being reserved for the cooking andliving areas of the trailer interior.

It should be noted that the forward end of the nose 42 presents aninclined front surface 50 for reducing wind resistance in forward motionand for producing a downwardly directed force component as will bediscussed fully hereinafter. The angle formed by the surface 50 with thehorizontal is preferably 45. Similarly, the top, rear surface 52 of therear section 40 is inclined at an angle of from 30-45 from thehorizontal to minimize the trailing partial vacuum which would otherwisebe significant. Although the trailer 26 illustrated in FIG. 1 is ofsingle axle design and hence employs single left and right wheels 54, atandem axle arrangement may be utilized for heavier loads as illustratedin FIG. 10 by the dual wheels 54a and 54b.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 3-8, it may be seen that thebaseplate 34 is of generally rectangular configuration as viewed inplan, and is a frustum of a shallow pyramid as viewed in elevation. Thebaseplate 34 is preferably of heavy metal construction such as boilerplate stock, and directly overlies the top 36 of the vehicle 20. The opof the baseplate 34 is presented by a rectangular, central portion 56,and the ball 32 is centered thereon as is clear in the Figures. A sleeve58 may be welded on the underside of the central portion 56 to reinforcethe hole through which the threaded stud 60 of the ball 32 extends. Anut 62 is threaded over the stud 60 to securely attach the ball 32 tothe baseplate 34.

Four downwardly sloping surfaces 64, 66, 68 and 70 radiate from thecentral portion 56 of the base plate 34 and face in generally forward,rearward, and lateral directions respectively. The side margins 72 and74 are presented by the ends of the rectangular baseplate 34, and areeach provided with a depending, integral flange 76 (FIG. 6). The fourcorners of the baseplate are reinforced by triangular webs 78.

A pair of irregularly shaped front and rear plate members 80 and 82respectively are secured to each of the side flanges 76 by machinescrews 84 and serve as a means of attaching the baseplate 34 to the bodyof the vehicle 20. The plate members 80 and 82 are all of identicalconfiguration except for differences inlength between the front members80 and the rear members 82, necessitated by the particular doorconfiguration of the vehicle 20. Accordingly, one of the members 82 isshown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7 where it may be seen that the memberslopes outwardly and downwardly from the side flange 76 to a right anglebend 86, where the remainder of the member is then configured somewhatlike a reversed Z to hook over the gutter or edge molding 88 of the top36 and extend into engagement with the body of the vehicle therebeneath.Rows of I sheet metal screws such as illustrated at 90 may beconveniently utilized to fasten the member 82 to the vehicle body, theonly modification necessitated being that of the drilling of suitableholes (not shown) for receiving the screws 90. Note in FIGS. and 6 thatthis arrangement does not interfere with normal closing of the doors ofthe sedan, the right rear door 92 being shown fully closed in both ofthese Figures.

If desired, a layer of a suitable padding material 94 may be employed onthe underside of each of the members 80 and 82 to prevent the hitchstructure from scarring the body of the vehicle. This leaves the paintunmarred so as not to distract from the appearance of the vehicle attimes when the hitch structure is removed therefrom. Note in this regardthat the holes drilled for the sheet metal screws 90 are concealed whenthe doors of the sedan are closed.

In use, the baseplate 34 is secured to the vehicle with the screws 90 asdiscussed above. It should be understood that the exact configuration ofthe baseplate 34 will be governed by each individual car body for properfitting and aesthetics. However, in all instances the hitch ball 32 willbe exactly centered between the side margins 72 and 74, and such marginswill be located in the same relative positions adjacent the respectiveedges of the car top 36. Furthermore, the baseplate 34 is centered frontto rear with respect to the bumpers of the vehicle 20, with the resultthat the ball 32 is exactly centered, or essentially so, both front torear and side to side with respect to the eometry of the vehicle 20.

By locating the hitch ball 32 in a manner as just discussed, the hitchweight of the trailer 26 is substantially equally distributed to thefour wheels of the vehicle 20.

Furthermore, since the vehicle 20 is free to undergo 360 angularmovement about the vertical axis of the hitch ball 32, jackknifing ofthe car-trailer combination is absolutely precluded and the vehicle 20may be used to push the trailer 26 in difficult parking and maneuveringsituations as illustrated in FIG. 9. Although it may not be readilyapparent, reversing the automobile 180 is easily accomplished by asingle forward turn and backing operation.

In FIG. 9 a vertical arrow 96 represents the weight of the trailer atits center of gravity. It is important to not that such center ofgravity is located forwardly of the center of the primary, rear bodysection 40 of the trailer 26. The front end of the rear section 40 andthe beginning of the front section or nose 42 is represented by thebroken line 98. This location of the center of gravity of the entiretrailer 26 is achieved by distributing the weight of the trailer in therespective sections 40 and 42 approximately in accordance with therelative volumes of the two sections to avoid concentrating the weightsolely at the rear of the trailer configuration.

This same relationship of the center of gravity to the center of therear section 40 exists in larger and longer trailer configurations, asillustrated in FIG. 10 where a tandem axle is utilized to support theload. Note that the arrow 96' in FIG. 10 at the center of gravity isspaced forwardly with respect to the center of the rear trailer section40. It is to be understood in this regard that the center" of the reartrailer section in FIGS. 9 and 10 is the transverse vertical planemidway along the length of such section from the front 98 thereof to therear.

The significance of the location of the center of gravity in the trailerconfiguration of the present invention may be appreciated by consideringthe locations of the wheels 54 in the single axle version and the wheels54a and 54b in the tandem axle version. In both cases the center axis ofthe trailer wheels is very near the center of gravity and would ideallybe inexact alignment with the center of gravity were it not for thenecessity of maintaining a certain minimum hitch weight that will assurethat a downwardly directed force (represented by the arrow 100) isalways applied to the vehicle 20 at the hitch. (The center axis is thatof the axle of the wheels 54 in the single axle version, and in thetandem axle version comprises an axis midway between the two axles ofthe tandem arrangement.) Accordingly, the distance between the centeraxis of the trailer axle or axles and the rear axle of the towingvehicle 20 is not greater than approximately equal to the wheel base ofthe vehicle 20. This may be seen in viewing FIGS. 1 and 10, although itshould be understood that the exact relationship between such distanceand the wheel base of the vehicle 20 will depend upon the particularautomobile used as the towing vehicle. Nonetheless, the relationship isa valid approximation, and results in a trailer axle to rear car axledistance that is significantly shorter than comparable car-trailerconfigurations in which the trailer is of conventional design and isattached to the car by a bumper hitch. Specifically, in the presentinvention the center of gravity of the trailer is located approximatelyone-fourth to one-third of the way back from the front of the primary,rear section 40, with the center axis of the trailer wheels being spacedrearwardly of the center of gravity approximately 1 to l and A feet intrailers having an overall length of approximately to feet.

The arrow 102 in FIG. 10 represents the force of the wind against thefront surface 50 when the trailer is moving at road speeds. By virtue ofthe angularity of the front surface 50, wind resistance is reduced and,simultaneously, a downwardly directed force component 104 is produced bythe wind which, at high speeds, tends to hold the car-trailercombination on the road and counteract any tendency to lose verticalstability. in actual driving tests under freeway conditions, it has beenfound that the automobile does not lose its usual road feel even atspeeds in excess of 80 miles per hour. It may also be appreciated thatthe sloping surfaces 64, 66, 68 and 70 of the hitch baseplate 30 alsominimize wind resistance; furthermore, the pyramidal configuration ofthe unitary baseplate serves to increase its structural strength andrigidity.

The overall effect of the top hitch and forwardly displaced center ofgravity discussed hereinabove is to produce a towing and towed vehiclecombination in which the effect of each vehicle on the other isminimized to a point where the driver of the towing vehicle is notconscious of the presence of the trailer being towed. The car may beswerved from lane to lane under high speed freeway conditions with nomore body sway than would normally be permitted by the particularsuspension. Accordingly, it may be appreciated that an extremely stableconfiguration is provided by the present invention which permits thetrailer to be towed at normal highway crusing speeds and minimizes thedanger of jackknifing or roll in the event that quick maneuvers must beundertaken in an emergency situation. The only apparent effect of thetrailer on the towing vehicle is an awareness on the part of the driverthat additional power is required for acceleration and to maintain agiven cruising speed, due to the additional load on the engine createdby the weight of the trailer. Even so, small, relatively low poweredpassenger vehicles such as Toyotas and Volkswagens can readily handle afully equipped eighteen foot camping trailer, and full sized passengercars can readily tow larger trailers at freeway cruising speeds withfull stability and adequate reverse power for passing situations andnormal grades.

What is claimed is:

1. Hitch structure for connecting the tongue of a trailer to the top ofa towing vehicle, said structure comprising:

a unitary, rigid baseplate adapted to overlie said top of the vehicleand extend thereacross from side to side.

said baseplate having an elevated central portion and presentingdownwardly sloping surfaces radiating from said central portion andfacing in generally forward, rearward, and lateral directions,

said baseplate having opposed side margins adapted for dispositionadjacent the edges of said top at the sides thereof;

meanS secured to said side margins for attaching said baseplate to saidvehicle; and

a hitch component mounted on said central portion and adapted to bereleasably connected with a mating hitch part carried by said tongue.

2. Hitch structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said baseplate isrectangular and presents a shallow, generally frusto-pyramidalconfiguration, there being four of said surfaces facing in said forward,rearward, and lateral directions respectively.

3. Hitch structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attaching meanscomprises irregularly shaped plate members projecting outwardly anddownwardly from said'side margins and configured to extend over saidedges of the top into engagement with the body of the vehicletherebeneath, and a plurality of fasteners for securing said members tosaid body.

4. A stabilized towing vehicle and trailer combination comprising:

a wheeled towing vehicle having front and rear axles;

a trailer provided with a primary, rear body section having a top and abottom, a secondary, front body section spaced above the plane of saidbottom and integral with the top portion of said primary section, andground-engaging wheel units supporting said trailer and having a centeraxis extending transversely thereof,

said secondary section presenting a forwardly extending nose defining acavity therebeneath in front of said primary section into which the rearportion of said vehicle normally extends; ball and socket hitch meansinterconnecting the forward end of said nose and said vehicle, andconstituting the sole connection between said vehicle and said trailer;said vehicle having a top presenting a zone thereon approximately midwayfront to rear and side to side, and structure securing said hitch.

means to said vehicle at said zone to substantially equalize the forcesapplied to the wheels of the vehicle, said structure attaching saidhitch means to said vehicle top for 360 angular movement of the Ivehicle with respect to the trailer, said trailer having its weightdistributed in said primary and secondary sections to locate the centerof gravity of the entire trailer forwardly of the center of said primarysection, said wheel units being disposed substantially at said center ofgravity to cause the distance between said center axis of the wheelunits and the rear axle of said vehicles to be no greater thanapproximately equal to the wheel base of the vehicle, said structureincluding a unitary, rigid baseplate overlying said top of the vehicleat said zone andextending thereacross from side to side, said baseplatehaving an elevated central portion and presenting downwardly slopingsurfaces radiating from said central portion and facing in forward,rearward, and lateral directions, said hitch means having a pair ofreleasably interconnected components, one of said components beingmounted on said central portion of the baseplate.

5. Hitch structure for connecting the tongue of a trailer to a towingvehicle having a top with side edges and doors with top edges, saidstructure comprising: a rigid baseplate adapted to overlie said vehicletop and extend laterally thereacross, said baseplate having an elevatedcentral portion and opposed side margins adapted for dispositionadjacent said side edges, means secured to said side margins forattaching said baseplate to said vehicle, said baseplate attaching meanscomprising a structural member sloping outwardly and downwardly andinwardly for disposition between said top side edges and said door topedges, means associated with said structural member for securing same tosaid vehicle between said top side edges and said door top edges, and ahitch component mounted on said baseplate is rectangular and presents ashallow, generally frustopyramidal configuration.

8. Hitch structure as set forth in claim 5, wherein the portion of saidstructural member which slopes inwardly is generally of zig-zag shape.

9. Hitch structure as claimed in claim 5, wherein said means forsecuring said structural member to said vehicle are screw fasteners.

* k l t l

1. Hitch structure for connecting the tongue of a trailer to the top ofa towing vehicle, said structure comprising: a unitary, rigid baseplateadapted to overlie said top of the vehicle and extend thereacross fromside to side. said baseplate having an elevated central portion andpresenting downwardly sloping surfaces radiating from said centralportion and facing in generally forward, rearward, and lateraldirections, said baseplate having opposed side margins adapted fordisposition adjacent the edges of said top at the sides thereof; meanSsecured to said side margins for attaching said baseplate to saidvehicle; and a hitch component mounted on said central portion andadapted to be releasably connected with a mating hitch part carried bysaid tongue.
 2. Hitch structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein saidbaseplate is rectangular and presents a shallow, generallyfrusto-pyramidal configuration, there being four of said surfaces facingin said forward, rearward, and lateral directions respectively.
 3. Hitchstructure as claimed in claim 1, wherein said attaching means comprisesirregularly shaped plate members projecting outwardly and downwardlyfrom said side margins and configured to extend over said edges of thetop into engagement with the body of the vehicle therebeneath, and aplurality of fasteners for securing said members to said body.
 4. Astabilized towing vehicle and trailer combination comprisiNg: a wheeledtowing vehicle having front and rear axles; a trailer provided with aprimary, rear body section having a top and a bottom, a secondary, frontbody section spaced above the plane of said bottom and integral with thetop portion of said primary section, and ground-engaging wheel unitssupporting said trailer and having a center axis extending transverselythereof, said secondary section presenting a forwardly extending nosedefining a cavity therebeneath in front of said primary section intowhich the rear portion of said vehicle normally extends; ball and sockethitch means interconnecting the forward end of said nose and saidvehicle, and constituting the sole connection between said vehicle andsaid trailer; said vehicle having a top presenting a zone thereonapproximately midway front to rear and side to side, and structuresecuring said hitch means to said vehicle at said zone to substantiallyequalize the forces applied to the wheels of the vehicle, said structureattaching said hitch means to said vehicle top for 360* angular movementof the vehicle with respect to the trailer, said trailer having itsweight distributed in said primary and secondary sections to locate thecenter of gravity of the entire trailer forwardly of the center of saidprimary section, said wheel units being disposed substantially at saidcenter of gravity to cause the distance between said center axis of thewheel units and the rear axle of said vehicles to be no greater thanapproximately equal to the wheel base of the vehicle, said structureincluding a unitary, rigid baseplate overlying said top of the vehicleat said zone and extending thereacross from side to side, said baseplatehaving an elevated central portion and presenting downwardly slopingsurfaces radiating from said central portion and facing in forward,rearward, and lateral directions, said hitch means having a pair ofreleasably interconnected components, one of said components beingmounted on said central portion of the baseplate.
 5. Hitch structure forconnecting the tongue of a trailer to a towing vehicle having a top withside edges and doors with top edges, said structure comprising: a rigidbaseplate adapted to overlie said vehicle top and extend laterallythereacross, said baseplate having an elevated central portion andopposed side margins adapted for disposition adjacent said side edges,means secured to said side margins for attaching said baseplate to saidvehicle, said baseplate attaching means comprising a structural membersloping outwardly and downwardly and inwardly for disposition betweensaid top side edges and said door top edges, means associated with saidstructural member for securing same to said vehicle between said topside edges and said door top edges, and a hitch component mounted onsaid central portion and adapted to be releasably connected with amating hitch part carried by said tongue.
 6. Hitch structure as setforth in claim 5, wherein said baseplate presents downwardly slopingsurfaces radiating from said central portion and facing in generallyforward, rearward and lateral directions.
 7. Hitch structure as claim inclaim 6, wherein said baseplate is rectangular and presents a shallow,generally frustopyramidal configuration.
 8. Hitch structure as set forthin claim 5, wherein the portion of said structural member which slopesinwardly is generally of zig-zag shape.
 9. Hitch structure as claimed inclaim 5, wherein said means for securing said structural member to saidvehicle are screw fasteners.